"Island Sailing has done a great job training us with an emphasis on safety and seamanship. Through our membership, we have been able to sail on the Columbia River, the Willamette River, and the Puget Sound.... A friendly and knowledgeable staff combined with a nice selection of boats in the Puget Sound and Portland locations makes Island Sailing the ideal place to gain or maintain your sailing skills.... The foundational sailing skills obtained have given us the ability to sail, charter, teach and ultimately gave us the confidence to purchase our own boat." - Sean, student & prior member

Island Sailing was founded in 1979 on Hayden Island in Portland, Oregon, and we've been training sailors ever since.

At our core, we are sailors. We started where you are, following an intuitive desire to sail. Many of us started young, while others began sailing later in life. We trained and practiced - we've sailed derelicts and yachts, sailed in back rivers and on exotic waters, and sailed with the best (and sometimes the worst) sailors around. Over time, our passion for sailing became a profession.

A profession to share our passion for sailing. We're not a boat broker, or a charter company - we train sailors to be confident and skilled. While we're an ASA affiliate, we focus more on training and less on stickers. As a club, we offer opportunities to sail and train at an affordable price.

Really, it's that simple.... 30+ years of training and empowering future sailors....

Portland, OR

Our “home fleet” and our central office is located on the Columbia River at Tomahawk Bay Marina in Portland, Oregon. Sailing on the Columbia can be challenging and the conditions vary throughout the year (winter offering some of our best winds). The Portland membership tends to be a little social and highly active with an organized Race Team and Cruising Group.

Kirkland, WA

Kirkland’s fleet is located at a prime spot behind Anthony’s Home Port Restaurant with quick and easy access to Lake Washington. The lake is a wonderful body of water to learn on and enjoy active daysailing. And, our sailors are treated with the beautiful sunsets behind the Seattle skyline and Mt. Rainier. There are plenty of boats for each member to get their fair share of sailing. The club here tends to be more “self-sufficient” with no on-site club facilities.

Olympia, WA

Olympia’s fleet is situated in some of the best cruising grounds in the NW, located in West Bay Marina on Budd Inlet. This location and the short drive from Portland gives sailors almost immediate access to the Southern Puget Sound, which has over 20 Washington State Parks and breathtaking views of the Olympics. The boats are more cruising orientated than the other fleets, and Tug Boat Annie’s Restaurant (overlooking the marina) is a true sailor’s joint (tell them we sent you!).

Gig Harbor, WA

Gig Harbor is our newest and [arguably] the prettiest port and the home of our Catalina 30, the work horse of our Bareboat Chartering Classes. Our members from the other fleets make good use of these waters since Gig Harbor is a day’s sail to great locations: Tacoma to the East, Seattle to the NE, Bremerton, Poulsbo and Port Townsend to the Northwest and the many islands of the Sound to the South. And, Gig Harbor’s a boating town, from the fishing fleets to Tides and Seven Seas Brewery - the local sailing watering holes.

Just finished the basic keelboat class. Good instructors and equipment. Very thorough training. Some in class had no prior sailing experience and were comfortable at the helm in two days. With Island you can go from landlubber to sailor in a week-end! Club rates are good too. Highly recommend them. - Google review

Sailing Club

Members have access to our fleet across 4 locations in the NW, from Portland to Kirkland. The club is designed by sailors to support sailor development, whether day sailing or pursuing goals of boat ownership or chartering in exotic waters.

We've been members of the Island Sailing Club for several years. The staff are great, the boats are pretty good and the price is cheap. $184 a month, to take out a boat that you don't have to do any upkeep on. Their classes are a good deal too. We sail most weekends and also go to their semi-annual formals and their dock parties are terrific too. - Dan, member

Charter & Rental

Members can charter our boats for extended trips. Moreover, we maintain relationships with charter companies across North America and our students often receive “preferred” status discounts because of their training.

For non-members, we offer 20-22 ft boats for daysail rentals at all locations.

Contact us.We're probably cleaning boats or working on engines, but we'll happily take a break and put down our brushes and tools to speak with you. One thing we love more than messing about in boats - is talking about messing about in boats! (800) 303-2470 or info@islandsailingclub.com